Totally Improbable
by psychedout9
Summary: A series of oneshots. Chance meetings of adult Harry and muggles from his childhood. NEW CHAPTER.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm a huge Harry Potter fan, Ginny has always been my favorite character! I currently have two other stories but this is my first for this fandom, so let me know how I did!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter Ginny would have punched Cho in the face, (because she was so annoying) and Harry and Ginny would have gotten together wayyyyy earlier!**

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><p>It was a frigid day, deep into December but despite the temperature the streets of muggle London were bustling.A light dusting of snow clung to the sidewalk and brightly lit storefronts winked invitingly.<p>

Mrs. Parker was currently peaking at a display of snow globes, wondering if her small granddaughter would enjoy one.

Her musings were suddenly interrupted as she was bumped from behind, sending all her shopping bags tumbling to the ground.

She heard a girlish squeal emit from her attacker, "oh, daddy look!"

Mrs. Smith turned her head to the left and caught a full view of bright red hair. The young girl's nose was pressed to the glass, only allowing half of her pretty face to be seen.

Behind her came a scolding male voice, "Lily Potter! Apologize to the poor woman."

Potter that sounds familiar, she thought.

A man with a mess of black hair hurried up to them and scooped up Mrs. Parker's bags.

He straightened up and she had to suppress a gasp, suddenly realizing why the name sounded so familiar. His bright green eyes seemed a mixture of confused and resigned as she stared at him frozen, not accepting the bags he was attempting to return.

The little girl, Lily, grabbed his free hand and addressed Mrs. Parker, "I'm sorry I really didn't mean to."

She then turned to plead to her father, "The snow globes are just so pretty daddy."

Mrs. Parker, still in shock, slowly took back her purchases. "Excuse me, are you Harry Potter?"

The man looked at her a bit wearily before saying, "The one and only." As though he got asked this a lot.

Mrs. Parker tried to reconcile the small, knobby kneed child with baggy clothes and taped glasses with this tall, fit and sadly the most shocking; happy, adult.

"Wow...um, I'm Mrs. Parker, your third grade teacher. How have you been? How are your aunt and uncle?"

Harry's smile seemed to grow a bit forced.

"Oh, I'm great, I'm married with three kids. Lily here is the youngest."

He said, ignoring the last question, which Lily, bursting with energy and waving ecstatically, answered for him, "Hi, do you know the Dursleys? James said he overheard mommy and Auntie Mione say we never visit them because they made daddy sleep in a closet."

At this point Mrs. Parker's memories seemed to overwhelm her, she flashed back to the broken glasses, his skinny frame...

He'd always been somewhat of a mystery to the teachers. His aunt and uncle were fairly well off and yet he came to school in clothes five sizes too large.

His looks most certainly came from his father's side as he looked nothing like the rest of the family.

That or his mother and her sister were complete opposites, as the staff could only assume by seeing their children.

Harry was small and skinny with crazy black hair and vibrant green eyes. He was quiet, intelligent, modest and polite whereas Dudley was overweight, rude, blonde and spoilt.

There was also the matter of the odd events Harry seemed to attract, which set him as the instance in which he somehow managed to get on top of the school roof, and to this day she still could not fathom how Harry had turned her hair bright blue.

The adult version refused to meet her eyes, looking uncomfortable as astonishment and horror showed plainly on her face.

"Lils, you should know never to listen to James." He said, chuckling weakly.

"My oldest son is a bit of a practical joker."He explained to Mrs. Parker who was still slightly suspicious but decided to steer to safer ground.

"So, what do you do for work?" She asked, eyeing his simple but high quality clothing and his daughter's pretty green dress and dark pea coat.

Lily began to answer, "Daddy's the boss, he's in charge of all the other auro-"

Her father cut her off, "Detective. I'm head detective." He said hastily.

Lily didn't seem to mind the interruption and continued, "Yup, and mommy writes for the Daily Prophet."

Mrs. Parker looked at Harry who seemed to be attempting to silently communicate to his daughter to stop talking.

This failed as she continued to look oblivious and tugged on her father's hand, "Hey daddy can we get some muggle candy? Al said to get him some lemon drops."

Harry smiled as though at a private joke. "Sure Lils, did James want anything also?"

Lily frowned adorably, "Yes, but I like Al better. James pulls my hair, he doesn't deserve candy."

Harry chuckled and Mrs. Parker smiled, though she was confused. What did muggle mean?

Harry turned back to her, "Well, it was nice seeing you again Mrs. Parker but we've got some last minute Christmas shopping to do." He said with a grin, putting his hand out.

"It was good to see you too." Mrs. Parker managed, still somewhat in a daze, shaking his hand.

Harry and his daughter began to walk away, swinging their clasped hands back and forth as Lily said, "Can we get Granddad some new plugs for his collection?" and Harry answered, "Great idea Lils, he'd love that."

Mrs. Parker watched their retreating backs, thinking that was one student who would always be a mystery.

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><p><strong>If I get some good responses I may turn this into a multi-shot with other chance meetings, so please review! Ideas, insights, and comments are hugely appreciated!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Yay another chapter, I've actually had this written for a while so let me know what you think! I'm just getting ready to be hit by Hurricane Irene, it sounds fun!**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, you guys keep me writing!**

**Disclaimer: I'm a brunette all the way, I'm also in High school so what do you think? Do I own Harry Potter? If you answered yes maybe you should visit a doctor and be checked for signs of pure stupidity, it's the sensation that's sweeping the nation!**

**Warning: FLUFF and adorableness from Lily:)**

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><p>Petunia Dursley looked at the selection in front of her before pulling the 1% milk off the shelf and adding it to her basket. As she walked on, deliberating about cheeses, she was savagely bumped from behind, her items dropping to the floor.<p>

A shout of "Sorry lady!" came as a small figure brushed past.

Muttering about delinquent children she bent to pick up the food, hearing an angry woman's call of "James Sirius Potter!" as she did so.

She froze, going over the name in her mind.

It was just a coincidence, right?

There were surely other people then her nephew with the name Potter.

So stuck in her musings, she did not hear the other woman's approach until she was asked, "Are you alright?"

Having replaced everything she stood up and brushed herself off, annoyed.

"You should learn to control your children." She said, looking at the woman.

She seemed around 30 and was very pretty with flaming red hair and chocolate brown eyes. She was pushing a cart half filled with groceries and a small, redheaded toddler in the seat swinging her legs playfully.

The girl was chanting quietly, "James is a bad, bad, boy. " and Petunia felt some of her anger irrationally slip away.

The woman agreed with her, Petunia assumed by their similar looks, daughter, "Yes he is, sweetie. You can blame daddy for naming him James Sirius."

The small girl flashed an adorable smile and replied amiably, "Ok."

Her mother turned back to Petunia, "I'm really sorry. My son, James, has always been a troublemaker." She held out her hand, "I forgot to introduce myself, my name's Ginny Potter," she said with a warm smile.

Petunia to the offered hand, attempting to show no reaction to the name while it was secretly causing her gut to twist in all kinds of painful ways.

Before she could introduce herself a young boy rushed forward, his appearance making her feel slightly faint.

He looked to be about 7 and owned an eerily familiar mess of black hair that swept down near his brown eyes.

He ran up to Ginny Potter, "Are you almost done? I wanna go to Uncle George's shop!"

Upon hearing his sister's continued chant of, "James is a bad, bad, boy," he scowled and said, "Shut up, Lily." Before turning back to his mother for an answer.

She put on a stern expression and began to berate him but Petunia wasn't listening.

All she'd heard was one word, on name: Lily. She began to stare at her, Lily Potter, so intently that the little girl felt her gaze and looked up from where she'd been watching her legs rotate up and down.

She waved, "Hi," she said brightly. "What's your name?"

Petunia had to stop a smile at the girl's cuteness, "Mrs. Petunia Dursley." She answered, a small tremor in her usually stiff persona.

Lily's smile widened, "Ooh, you have a flower name too! My daddy had an aunty with that name, and I have a cousin, Rose, too."

She clapped her hands excitedly, Petunia had frozen in place; all the names were too much to be a coincidence.

With a last look at Lily she proceeded to back up, right into someone.

A large hand steadied her from behind, apologizing. The voice seemed familiar and it only took a squeal of, "Daddy!" from Lily to place it.

Unsure of what to do she stayed in place, searching for an escape route.

The man walked past her to the cart and she became frantic to get away when she saw the signature black hair and unforgettable green eyes as he lifted his daughter from the carriage.

So transfixed was she that she almost missed the quiet, "Excuse me." Issued from behind her.

Startled, she turned and gasped at the sight before her.

A small boy was looking at her expectantly, waiting to get past. His black hair stuck out in every direction as though he'd recently been near a high-powered fan. Familiar bright green eyes stared at her curiously and Mrs. Dursley had an errant thought wondering if cloning was common in the magical community.

She shook her head mentally, that was ridiculous.

Though she could have easily mistaken him for Harry at that age there were small differences. This child, though skinny, had a healthy look about him as one well cared for. There was also no scar marring the smooth skin on his forehead and no spectacles perched on his nose.

"Are you okay, Miss?" he asked politely, interrupting her thoughts and making her realize she'd been blatantly staring at him for over a minute.

"Oh…um…"

She was saved from answering by the person she wanted to escape most, "Who are you talking to, Al?"

Ginny answered, "Oh, that's the poor woman James knocked over earlier."

Petunia gulped slightly and turned around to face Harry Potter for the first time in along time.

He was still holding his petite daughter who had her arms wrapped around his neck, a few laugh lines had been added to his face and he was a bit taller then before. He seemed much better fed and had gained muscle throughout his body, but his raven hair was as messy as always and his eyes were the same shade of green as they widened in surprise.

"Aunt Petunia?" he managed, the first time they'd spoken in about 14 years.

She nodded and Ginny, his wife Petunia thought, thinking how odd it felt to say that, looked between them and asked, "Wait, as in Petunia Dursley?"

Harry nodded, "The same."

The change in Ginny's expression was immediate, she looked at Petunia angrily, and almost accusing and Petunia realized she'd most likely heard stories of his childhood. She winced and looked down guiltily.

Ignoring his wife's obvious state of anger Harry spoke, looking slightly uncomfortable, "So, what have you been doing these past years? How's Uncle Vernon?"

She looked up but couldn't seem to gaze at him directly, "Oh, I've been doing well, Vernon's retired."

"Yeah, I think Dudley mentioned it." He replied.

Petunia was slightly surprised; she hadn't known Dudley had been in contact with his cousin.

An awkward silence settled and Ginny seemed to be attempting to refrain from screaming at her in front of the children.

Apparently not sensing the tense atmosphere, Lily reached up and snatched away her father's glasses with her small toddler hands. Meanwhile the two boys were fighting over something trivial, but neither parent bothered to reprimand them, too caught up in the moment.

Harry blinked, seemingly realizing that he could not see. "Lils, can you give daddy his glasses back, he really needs them." he said questioned his daughter who was currently examining his lenses and trying to fit them on her own face.

"Oh, sorry daddy." She said, and attempted to put them on for him but only managed to poke him in the face.

"Ouch."

"Sorry, daddy." She repeated and then proceeded to kiss her palm and lightly tap the spot on his face she'd poked. "All better."

He smiled and took the glasses in his own hand, expertly placing them on his face.

Ginny was also smiling lightly as she watched their interaction and Petunia found her own face lacking its usual stern look. She didn't want to miss out on the chance to know another Lily Potter and maybe make up for some of her past mistakes and jealousy.

"Would you like to come over for dinner tomorrow?"

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><p><strong>Sorry if the ending was a bit abrupt, but tell me what you think anyway! REVIEW!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**I actually had not been planning on doing a second part to that one but people seemed to want it so here it goes!**

**Thanks to Peeta 4eva, UltimateLoveStorys, wingswordsandmetaphors ( I may think of doing an unrelated Dudley's kid is magical...blahblahblah),1945,Funkyfish1996, PotterManiac8 lafd, serenityselena,WizardWay,peggy cook,Zireael, IxStalkxCullens and anonymous for reviewing! Also thanks to everyone who alerted or favorited this story!**

**Disclaimer: Well my shampoo is Brilliant Brunette and I'm an American teenager so I'm pretty positive I'm not J.K. Rowling. If you didn't know that means I don't own anything. **

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><p><strong> Part 2<strong>

Vernon Dursley gratefully sank into a large, comfortable, armchair stationed in front of the TV.

He reached his hand to the side table and plopped a chocolate chip cookie into his large mouth. His doctor had been urging him to healthier but he'd be damned if he wasn't going to eat what he wanted.

He felt content, he yelled at some neighborhood children who'd dared to step on his lawn and yelled some more at the ruffian's parents.

Life was good.

He heard the sound of the sound of a car pulling into the driveway but didn't bother to look as he assumed it was Petunia back from the supermarket.

Good, he was hungry.

What did catch his attention was the sound of multiple voices in the hallway. Unless Petunia had gone loony and had begun talking to herself, others were with her.

Figuring he should greet their guests he heaved himself off the chair and walked out of the room, hearing Petunia say, "You can put your coats over here," in a slightly nervous tone.

Vernon froze as he saw who had accompanied his wife.

A beautiful woman about 30 years old with flaming red hair was speaking to a young boy with crazy black hair facing away from Vernon. Another boy, taller, with similar hair interjected himself into their conversation, gesturing wildly with his hands.

More importantly was the man helping a small, redheaded girl out of her purple coat. His hair was the same as ever; wackily identical to the two boys', and his eyes were just as bright green as he lifted the tiny girl into his arms.

"You! What do you think you're doing in my house, boy?" he boomed.

The reactions were instantaneous as everyone turned to look at him.

The glare on the woman's face would have made a braver man back away, terrified.

The smaller redhead wrapped her arms around her father's neck and did the same.

The younger boy had turned around and Vernon received a furious gaze from his emerald eyes.

The older one, with brown eyes to match his mother's, spoke up, "Hey tub-o-lard, don't talk to my dad like that." He yelled obnoxiously.

_Little brat_, thought Vernon. _How dare he insult me!_

Vernon opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by his wife.

"Why don't we all go to the living room, I'll put some tea on and start dinner."

He stared at her.

_She was okay with having these freaks in their house, sitting on their couch?_

There had to be some sort of explanation for this.

She gave him a warning look before heading into the kitchen.

"Well come on then, hurry up." He said gruffly to the small family, muttering about freaks as he led the way to the parlor.

The boy sat down on the couch, his youngest son sitting next to him, they really were practically identical, and his wife on the end.

He settled his small daughter in his lap and motioned for his eldest to sit in the armchair positioned next to the couch.

Vernon slumped into his own armchair opposite the couch, returning the glare the brown-eyed boy was giving him.

There was a small clattering and the sound of footsteps approaching down the hallway.

Petunia appeared in the doorway, carrying a tray of tea and placing it down on the coffee table.

She poured four cups for the adults, handed them out and sat primly in her chair next to Vernon.

She delicately sipped her drink before setting it down and asking, "So Harry, what do you do for work?"

Vernon snorted, "Like his lot works, they probably steal everything they need from us hardworking people."

The eldest child looked ready to burst and did so, "And what do you do tubby? You probably sit in that chair all day, stuffing your fat face with cookies!"

"You lot can't even raise your children right. How dare you speak to me that way!" Vernon roared.

The boy didn't even bother to reprimand his son but instead looked at Vernon as though her was the immature one, him!

"Yes, we have very different ideas about how to raise children." He said stiffly.

"I bet that brats the reason you're together. You probably got her pregnant and ran off and had some shotgun wedding!" Vernon spat at his nephew, attempting to show him that he was still superior.

The wife spoke up now, her angry red face matching her vivid hair.

"For your information, Vernon," she snarled, emphasizing his name as though it was an insult. "Harry and I were married for two years before James and we had a perfect wedding with all of our family and friends in attendance. So I suggest you back off. And if you ever insult my son again I'll screw the law and hex you so badly you'll never recover."

He was about to yell back that they should all be in jail but he felt a small hand wrap around his arm.

He looked down at his wife but instead of giving her support she said, "Vernon, if you can't be civil you'll have to leave."

He stared at her incredulously, but couldn't stand to be exiled in his own house so stayed silent.

Petunia shot him a glance before asking again, "So what is it you do for work?"

The tension was thick in the room but the boy answered calmly, "I'm Head Auror at the Ministry."

Seeing the looks of incomprehension he continued, "A dark wizard catcher, kind of like a police detective."

Petunia looked impressed but Vernon muttered, "Must be busy with all those no good freaks."

He had a feeling the boy had heard him but he ignored the comment.

"Ginny's a journalist for the Daily Prophet, our newspaper, she writes the Quidditch section." He said, giving his wife a proud look.

_Obviously they have very low standards at freak newspapers_, Vernon thought spitefully.

Petunia gave her a small smile, "That must be a very demanding job. Dudders recently got a promotion at his paper company, manager!" she said proudly and Vernon nodded in acknowledgement of his son's achievements.

Harry nodded, "He told me he was up for one, I'm glad he got it."

Both Vernon and Petunia were shocked, though Vernon was also angry. _Had these freaks been imposing their unnaturalness on his son?_

His angry rant was cut off before it had begun.

"You talk to Dudders? I didn't know that."

She seemed slightly sad that their son hadn't confided this in her.

"Yeah we reconnected a couple years ago."

That was the final straw. _Who did these people think they were that they could interact with his family?_

He looked again at Petunia, ready to kick them out, but the look on her face stopped him.

It was sad, almost wistful.

He stood up abruptly, "Well, its been a long day, I think I'll turn in. Goodbye boy." He said rather forcefully, trying to make it clear that he wanted this to be the last time they met.

Without looking at them he headed towards the kitchen, just because he didn't want to talk to those freaks didn't mean he should starve.

Some things never change.

But, with a last look at Petunia who had a small smile on her strict face as she chatted, maybe some do.

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><p><strong>Please review! I was thinking of maybe doing one about how Harry and Dudley 'reconnected', yes, no?<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**YAY NEW CHAPTER! I'm so sorry for the long wait but what can I do, that's life. **

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter:Happygirl122,serenityselena,WizardWay,Peeta 4eva, 1945, Zireael107,Sapphire2309, and AmiliaPadfoot. I always love to hear feedback, no matter what, and you guys really inspire me to keep going! Also thank you to anyone who favorited/alerted or even read this story!**

**Disclaimer: I'm going to tell JK Rowling that you think her books could have been written by a 2 year old, since that's how old I was when the first one came out.**

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><p>Dudley Dursley sat at a small, square table in a café not far from his work.<p>

The sun was beating down, making him slightly uncomfortable in his black suit.

He ordered his drink and sandwich and settled in to wait.

A young couple was sitting by the storefront windows, hands clasped as they spoke. Two older women were gossiping at a table in the back, delicately sipping at their iced teas.

The waiter came with his order, blocking his view of the door as it opened, bells ringing. When he left Dudley saw that a small family of four had entered the establishment.

The woman was extremely pregnant with vibrant red hair and creamy, freckled skin. Her brown eyes were smiling easily.

Clutching her hand was a small boy of about 3 with messy black hair jutting from his head in every possible direction. He was currently turned away, fighting with a slightly larger boy who happened to be facing Dudley.

The older child had the same warm brown eyes as his mother and they were sparkling wickedly as he teased his little brother.

A tall man with ebony locks to match his sons' spoke, "James stop being mean to your little brother."

The older boy's response was lost to Dudley as he stared at the man. He had turned towards Dudley when scolding his son and his bright green eyes were clearly visible.

"Harry?" Dudley whispered, astonished.

He was taller, more muscled, and obviously much more well fed but his facial features, emerald eyes, and raven black hair were the same as they'd been the last time Dudley saw him; the day they went into hiding.

With this realization he stared with a renewed vigor at the small family before him.

Now that they were seated Dudley could see the youngest son more clearly and he almost gasped at the resemblance.

While the other boy, James, had some features of his mother this little boy was all Harry. Besides the lack of scar on his forehead and the fact that he seemed well cared for, loved, he was identical to Harry at that age.

Gathering his courage Dudley stood and began to make his way toward them, chuckling as he heard the Harry look alike ask, "Mummy, can you have a girl baby? I don't need another brother."

The woman laughed beautifully and said, "I can try Al, just for you." She gave him a light poke on the belly, which prompted him to release a small giggle.

Dudley saw Harry's crooked grin make an appearance before he stopped at their table.

"Harry?"

He questioned, looking directly at him, hoping Harry recognized him.

Harry's emerald eyes x-rayed him, trying to place him, before he gasped.

"Dudley?"

Dudley smiled, inwardly sighing with relief.

"Yeah. How have you been?"

Harry smiled lightly. "Great, really great."

He started suddenly and Dudley suspected that his wife had kicked him under the table.

Seems she was as fiery as her hair.

"Oh, I'm sorry. This is my amazing wife, Ginny, and my sons, James and Albus. He said, pointing to each the woman, oldest and youngest boy in turn.

Dudley offered his hand to Ginny and she took it, her expression had a slight coldness to it that made Dudley sure she'd heard stories about Harry's childhood.

He winced; she looked fierce.

"Nice to meet you. How long have you and Harry been married?"

Her expression softened a little. "11 years." She said, fingering her glittering ring.

"Wow!" He exclaimed, genuinely happy for them. "I just got engaged two months ago, he name's Emma. I'd invite you to the wedding but you know…" He trailed off, looking distinctly uncomfortable.

Harry gave him a small smile, as though Dudley's thought made up for the fact that it wasn't a real invitation.

"Yeah. I know, you're parents will be there."

Dudley rolled his eyes. "Mum's been going crazy with the planning. Even though she and Emma don't always see I to eye, Emma can be very opinionated… She's a reporter too, Ginny."

Harry grinned. "Opinionated, that's not what I would use to describe reporters. More like a pack of bloodhounds."

Ginny glared at him.

"Except, you dear of course." He hastily added, holding his hands up in surrender.

At that moment James, who was obviously bored with the conversation, dumped five sugar packets on the table and began eating their contents.

Harry, sitting next to him, shook his head exasperatedly. "James." And began to clean up both the counter and the boy.

Ginny calmly watched him and stated, "That's all you."

Looking up from his task Harry pointed at the sugar. "Hey, that's food. That means its from your side." He looked back at James. "Someone's obviously been spending to much time with Uncle Ron."

The meaning of this was lost on Dudley but he smiled anyway, it seemed like Harry finally had a real family.

He looked at his watch: his lunchtime was almost up.

"Well, I better head back. It was great seeing you again."

He stopped there, letting Harry decide if he wanted to keep in contact.

Finished cleaning the remnants of the sugar, Harry looked at him, pausing for a moment, before grabbing a napkin from the table and pen from his pocket.

He scribbled something down and then handed it to Dudley. "Here's my address, keep in touch. Also, make sure you don't show it to any wizards, I wasn't kidding about the bloodhound thing." He said with a grin.

Dudley grinned back. "Sure, thing. I would go tell all the wizards I know, but you're pretty much the only one."

Waving to the small family, he exited the café.

He walked down the street, heading to his perfectly normal job, whistling happily as he tucked the napkin in his jacket pocket.

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><p><strong>Well, fourth chapter down. I'm not positive who to do next so tell me if you have someone in mind. Also, this should be a given, PLEASE REVIEW!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Ok, I have had this chapter written for a long time, I was just too lazy to type it up. So I'm really sorry for the long wait, I've been really busy. **

**I want to give a HUGE thanks to everyone who reviewed I love all your comments. So thanks: wingswordsandmetaphors,LoveIsThis, Jaisler,1945(interesting idea, maybe...),serenityselena, Serena Bluemoon( I'll definitely do Marge eventually), WizardWay,sadey, peggy cook,TwistedImaginings, Rebecca Calzone, Zirael07,Happygirl122, Loves to read books, madnessfromnutella,Lizzie, Synchro lover,Xxx, and Loonaticslover13!**

**Disclaimer: Okay I pretty positive that there's no way I would have been able to acquire the rights to Harry Potter since the last time I posted. For one, I am not filthy disgusting rich, and two J.K. Rowling has some kickass lawyers. **

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><p>Kate fidgeted with her dress as Dean knocked on the door. It'd been a year since they'd started dating and about two months since she'd learned of the magical world.<p>

This was her first time really getting to meet any of Dean's friends, his fellow witches and wizards. She was understandably nervous.

The door was ripped open, revealing an older woman with fiery red hair and a kind smile.

"Dean, good to see you. Come in, come in. And who;s this lovely young lady?"

Dean smiled at her as they stepped through the threshold.

"Hello, Mrs. Weasley. This is my girlfriend, Kate."

Mrs. Weasley beamed at her and Kate gave a small smile.

"Welcome, most everyone's in the backyard." She said, pointing through the open, airy living room complete with plush armchairs and a fireplace.

The room seemed relatively normal except for the moving pictures of a blonde man and woman that she assumed was the engaged couple. They had an odd look about them that Kate couldn't place but looked blindingly happy anyway.

Mrs. Weasley gave them one last smile before heading towards the attached kitchen, joining a beautiful blonde woman with silvery blonde hair. Dean stared at said woman a bit too long for Kate's liking so she grabbed his arm and dragged him to the glass double doors.

They stepped outside into the bright summer's day, a soft wind tickling Kate's loose hair.

Picnic tables covered with bright yellow cloth and centerpieces with exotic flowers Kate had never seen before.

Children dressed in nice clothes, scuffed from play, ran around laughing and shrieking.

A few children had the same vibrant hair as Mrs. Weasley and a good number of the adults as well.

Most of the adults were mingling, sitting at the tables or standing in clusters, drinks in hand.

Dean moved towards a group of people around their age.

The couple in the photos were surrounded by five people.

There were two tall, red-headed men, the slightly taller of the two had his arm around a woman with bushy brown hair. Next to the woman was a man with messy black hair and shocking green eyes framed by glasses. Another woman stood next to him, wearing a loose summer dress over her heavily pregnant form and her long, red hair pulled back in a messy bun. The other red-headed man, Kate was horrified to see, was missing an ear.

Once they joined their group the soon-to-be bride said, "It's okay if we make you uncomfortable," in a dreamy voice. "We tend to do that."

This statement did nothing to make Kate feel better and only served to cause all the other adults to look at her with various levels of amusement, as though they too had been victims of the woman's blunt statements.

Dean took her hand. "This is my girlfriend, Kate."

The bushy haired woman quickly took charge.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Hermione Weasley. This is my husband Ron," She stated, indicating the redheaded man next to her. "That's my best friend, Harry," She continued, pointing at the man with the ebony hair.

"His wife, and Ron's sister, Ginny." She said of the pregnant woman. "And their brother, George."She finished with the earless man.

Harry grinned at his wife. "Hear that, Gin? I'm her best friend."

She stuck her tongue out at him in a juvenile manner, causing him to chuckle.

Ron spoke up. "It doesn't matter anyway, husband trumps best friend." He said with a grin.

Hermione rolled her eyes at them all.

A child's call of "Uncle George!" made said man flounce away with a wink, the engaged couple soon to follow, to socialize with the other guests.

The conversation continued , Kate completely clueless as to the people and things being discussed.

Then Harry, as though sensing her awkwardness (it was probably very obvious), asked, "So Kate, where are you from?"

She looked at him gratefully. Finally something she could understand. "Well, Dean and I live in London but I grew up in Surrey. Little Whining to be more exact."

Everyone eyed her with a renewed interest.

"Hey, isn't that where the Dursley's live?" Ron questioned.

"Yeah." Harry answered in an unreadable tone.

He turned back to her. "That's where I grew-"

He stopped mid-sentence and looked down, causing everyone else to follow suit.

A toddler of maybe three was pulling on his pant leg, repeating, "Daddy, daddy, daddy."

He was so adorable that Kate almost awed out loud.

He looked like a miniature Harry, crazy black hair and emerald green eyes. Though he did lack Harry's need for glasses and a lightning bolt scar.

Kate did a double take.

Wait, scar on his forehead and he was most likely saying that he grew up in Little Whining.

_Harry Potter_, she thought as she stared at him. _Wow._

While she attempted to deal with her shock Harry asked, "Hey, Al. What's wrong?"

The little boy stopped his chanting and lifted his arms over his head, a clear sign that he wanted to be picked up.

Harry scooped him up and settled him at his hip, the boy's tiny arms clinging to his neck.

"Jaime's mean." He said with a pout.

Ginny sighed.

"I know, Al. I'll talk to him later, okay?" Harry reassured him.

The little boy nodded and buried his head in Harry's shoulder.

Ginny smiled at them before turning the attention back to Kate.

"What Harry was saying was that he grew up there also. His aunt and uncle still live there I think." She finished with a hard scowl, that clearly stated she disapproved of them. Kate's eyes widened.

"Wait,Dursley. As in Dudley Dursley? Overweight? Completely terrifying?"

Harry nodded. "The same. Though to tell the truth Big D isn't particularly scary anymore. He works at a publishing company.

Kate was astounded. "So you're that Potter? You're a neighborhood legend!"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Yeah he's a legend there and everywhere else."

Ron snorted and Harry sent her an affronted look but before he could respond Al, who had obviously become bored, put his small hand around Harry's nose; fascinated.

Everyone laughed at his predicament, Ron once again snorting loudly.

Kate felt Dean chuckle beside her and watched as Hermione hid her mouth with a hand, wide smile still visible behind it.

Ginny seemed to find it most entertaining, beaming at her small son. "Good job, Al." She said, ruffling his already-messy hair.

Harry made a noise in protest.

"Don't encourage him." He replied, Al's grip on his nose making his voice sound nasally.

"Hey, Al. Can you please return daddy's nose?" Al nodded somberly before releasing Harry's nose with one last clumsy pat of his face. He let out a small giggle.

Harry grinned at him. "You think you're funny, do you? He then proceeded to tickle his miniature son mercilessly.

And as she looked around the circle of laughing, happy, people, Dean's arm wrapped comfortably around her waist, Kate thought that maybe this was a different kind of magic.

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><p><strong>Wow, isn't James always such a devil child. That's okay though because Albus is adorable :) Sorry again for the long wait. Please REVIEW and let me know your comments and ideas for other chapters. I'm thinking either a member of Dudley's gang(as Jaisler suggested) or an AU time travel one, just for fun:)<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Wow, I really suck it's been forever since I updated. Can I plead Senior year? Don't worry I still love doing this story even if I may procrastinate. I have a much longer chapter coming up next that is almost finished and may have something to do with wobbly-wobbly timey-wimey.**

** Now I would like to thank everyone who reviewed my last chapter: DathZ (I may use your idea soon),Peggy-DawnYew2674 (sorry for any confusion on the last chapter, sometimes I forget you all can't read my mind),Happygirl122, WizardWay, Synchro lover, spellmugwump97(another good idea),leatherback14,rawr52, Loonaticslover13, Jamice Sace, In The Mix,Automail-gHost, Allons-y Lovelies, Zireael07, MuggleCreator,and live-love-learn-laugh. Also thanks to everyone that alerted/favorited. **

**Disclaimer: Ah I missed these. The chance to explain yet again to any dunderhead that actually believes I own any of this that J.K. Rowling is blonde and lives in the UK whilst I am a brunette with the basic ability to form thoughts and transmit those on to paper.**

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><p>He stared at the long line and forced himself not to scowl. He needed this job. Piers Polkiss gave the small child in front of him a chocolate ice cream cone and a faux smile.<p>

_Damn kids, _he thought as a little girl dropped her cone and began crying at the sight of her ice cream splattered across the floor. The girl's father began to console her, but all Piers could focus on was the fact that he was going to be the one to mop it up.

His boss, a stout, severe-faced woman in her fifties, shoved a mop in his hand and directed him toward the spillage with the instruction to "clean it quickly." The second he turned away; he let his face fall into a hateful glare.

As the mop swished across the floor, Piers heard the familiar tinkling of the bells that announced the arrival of yet more customers. _Oh, joy._ He looked towards the door and studied the people that had just entered.

The first thing he noticed was that the woman was, quite frankly, hot. She was fairly pale and had a smattering of freckles across a pretty face. Her body was toned, her legs were long, and she had fiery red hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. Then, he saw the small child holding her hand. Mom, then. Or maybe not, the little boy looked nothing like her with messy black hair and bright green eyes.

This thought shattered when the boy held his arms out to her and pleaded, "Mummy, up." Okay, well maybe she was a single mother; he could work with that. He was about to approach her and surely charm her into a date, when a man walked through the doors and addressed her, another black-haired child by his side.

"Sorry, Gin. James here decided it might be fun to chase after a stray dog." He apologized giving the little boy by his side, James, a stern look.

The woman smirked.

"I can see the headlines now: Harry James Potter, The Chosen One, Can't Keep Track of Own Son."

Harry scowled her playfully but Piers frowned.

Why did that name sound so familiar? He was so deep in thought he hadn't noticed that the spot he was absentmindedly mopping was already clean.

"Trying to pretend you're still cleaning to get out of real work?"

His manager snapped at him.

"Go man the register."

Muttering under his breath, Piers put away the mop and stationed himself behind the counter, trying to make it look as though he didn't want to set the entire store on fire. Fortunately, the hot redhead was next in line. Unfortunately, her husband, that's who he was guessing the man was, was standing right next to her.

He would have to be subtle then, let her know that he was available while that bespectacled dork of hers was at work.

He did a double take.

Wait a second, that bespectacled dork looked kind of familiar… Holy shit! It was him! Harry Potter! As in Dudley's freak of a cousin. He smirked. This just got a lot more interesting. And easy because there was no way that she married him out of anything other than pity.

"Hi." She began. "I'll have two mint chocolate chip cones. A small, chocolate cone with sprinkles and… what kind do you want, Al, honey?"

She leaned down to listen and the boy spoke quietly into her ear.

_Jesus, shy much?_ They were obviously being way to easy on that kid. He would have to teach him to toughen up.

"Also, a small vanilla cone with chocolate sprinkles," the woman finished with a smile. Piers smiled back in a way that was most-assuredly handsome. "Gin", however, had turned her attention back to Dudley's weirdo relative, whispering something to him that earned her a bought of laughter.

Annoyed at her lack of attention, he turned to scoop out the ordered ice cream cones. Upon the receiving of his ice cream Potter looked perplexed. Maybe freaks like him weren't usually exposed to normal things like ice cream. Piers snorted at his own joke.

"You look familiar," He spoke, staring at Piers with a bemused expression. "Yeah, well I would, wouldn't I, Potter? Having trouble remembering anything before your shock treatment, Freak?"

Immediately Potter's expression cooled to a practiced calm. "Ah."

His wife, however, seemed to flare up with a rage as vibrant as her hair.

"Who the hell do you think you are, asshole? Don't you dare call my husband a freak!"

The eldest boy seemed to take a particular word and began to chant it. "Asshole, asshole, asshole…"

Potter's wife let out a groan of frustration before apparently deciding that Piers was the larger problem at the moment.

Before she could again begin her tirade, Piers gave her a jaunting smile and said: "Don't worry, sweetheart, I know he probably threatened you into the whole marriage thing but I could take him. No need to be stuck with that forever."

Rather than appearing reassured, she seemed ready to leap across the counter and strangle him. Harry, beside her, also looked less calm and distinctly more annoyed.

"Now look here-" He began before his wife cut across him, eyes flashing.

"I am not your sweetheart and if you ever insinuate that I married my husband for anything other than love I will-" She was leaning very far into his personal space at this point, something he would have rather enjoyed except for the fact that she looked closer to giving him spit in the eye than a kiss on the lips. Looking at her assuredly soft lips was such a distraction that Piers did not comprehend the rest of her threat.

He was sure it was creative though.

At this point, every person in the shop was staring at them. It seemed that Harry had also noticed this as he firmly gripped his wife's shoulder and slowly eased her back. His manager had also noticed the scene unfolding and was hustling towards them.

"What is the meaning of this?" She demanded upon arriving.

"Nothing, we'll just be-" Potter was again interrupted by his wife-what a push over, she clearly needed someone who could handle her.

"Your employee here just called my husband a freak and then insinuated that he, a please-man-" Harry whispered something in her ear. "Police man, was a criminal."

His manager quickly began attempting to smooth over the situation. "I'm very sorry madam, I assure you he will no longer be working here."

She reached behind the counter and pulled out a slip of paper.

"Here's a coupon for 3 months worth of free ice cream."

There was a tense silence as Potter's wife continued to look livid, but Potter himself reached for the slip of paper and gave a curt nod.

"We'll just be on our way then." He gave the seething redhead beside him a pointed look.

At that moment Al seemed to have tired of standing and motioned at his mother to be picked up. She did so and stalked out of the shop with as much haughty dignity as a person holding a toddler with a face covered in ice cream could.

Potter looked at Piers with an odd expression on his face.

"I'm not exactly sure I believe in karma, but if she's real: Wow, what a bitch."

Piers could have sworn he heard a young boy's voice say, "bitch" before the door shut with a clang.

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><p><strong>Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter. Let me know what you thought of it. Hopefully, I'll be updating faster now that I actually got a laptop for college!<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Well, it's been a while. I know I'm terrible for not updating, especially since this particular chapter was actually started about two years ago. I just never finished it. On the bright side it is, hopefully, better now than it would have been then, and it is the longest chapter in this story.**

**I would now like to thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter and everyone who alerted and favorited this story. You guys keep me writing.**

**Disclaimer my old friend: I do not own Harry Potter. (Though I am now the proud owner of a kickass Slytherin banner).**

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><p>It was oddly quiet at number 12 Grimmauld Place, with no teenagers walking about or order members convening in the dining room.<p>

A few stragglers were seated by the fireplace: a young woman with a shock of purple hair; a haggard-looking man in worn robes; and the owner of the house who was currently brooding in his chair, hands fiddling with a sort of pendant.

Sirius Black had gleefully discarded most everything connected to his family and yet this elaborate pendant, most likely something of his dear old mother's, he couldn't seem to let go of.

The room's other occupants were having a quiet conversation as the light of the flames flickered across their faces.

Sirius started from his stupor at the sound of the front door opening followed by footsteps heading towards the room. The door creaked open to reveal none other than Albus Dumbledore, troubled eyes glinting from behind half-moon spectacles.

"Why hello, Remus. Tonks. Sirius…Sirius may I ask what it is that you are holding?"

Sirius looked down at his hands as though he had forgotten anything was within his grasp.

"What? Oh, I don't know. I just found it."

Tonks, Lupin, and Dumbledore all came closer to examine it.

It was a beautiful piece of metalwork, the delicate lines of silver swirling and intersecting in a fascinating pattern. A shine seemed to emanate from inside the very metal. As they watched, transfixed, that shine grew, turning into a blinding light that threatened to engulf them all. And then did so.

Sirius felt a strong tug as he was pulled from the room and his vision swam with shear light. He groaned as his body slammed into the floor.

The light was receding, the familiar wall structure of Grimmauld Place returning to his vision. The walls, however, seemed to be the only thing unchanged. Sirius stared around the room in awe. Intuition screamed that this was still his childhood home, and yet…

"Well, isn't this lovely?" Came Dumbledore's tranquil voice from his left.

The old man was the only one still on his feet; gazing at his surroundings before returning his focus to his three companions still sprawled across the floor.

"Where are we?" Remus breathed, staring perplexedly at their new environment. Dumbledore looked at him amusedly beneath half-moon spectacles. "I think the real question is: when are we?"

Tonks remained uncomprehending. "When?"

Sirius nodded along with Dumbledore, the question Dumbledore postulated making more and more sense as he absorbed this new setting.

His gut told him this was Grimmauld Place; that forsaken house was branded onto his very being. It had been as much a prison as Azkaban. However, unlike Azkaban, there seemed to be no escape.

The walls looked freshly painted, unfamiliar furniture sat comfortably about the room as though it had been there for years, and clutter that belonged to neither Sirius, the Order nor Sirius's lovely mother lay scattered around the room. It seemed only the wall structure remained the same.

A high-pitched shriek originating in another room interrupted his musing. Disregarding any thoughts about the possible consequences of being seen, the four unwitting travelers hurried to the source of the sound.

Sirius skidded to a stop in the doorway of what now appeared to be the living room, giving Remus and Tonks no time to brake and, subsequently, causing them to slam into his back. Dumbledore approached at a more leisurely pace.

What they had mistaken for a cry of terror in actuality had been a shriek of laughter. A small, redheaded girl of about 4 years was levitating in the air with no visible assistance. Her hair flew wildly about her freckled face; her brown eyes alight with joy as hysterical giggles flew from her lips. Through bouts of laughter she managed to gasp: "Jamie, put me down!"

In lieu of an answer, she began to spin in circles—clearly not of her volition if her squirming was any indication.

She did not seem to notice the four adults observing her.

She flailed her skinny arms behind her, reaching for something unseen. It seemed she found what she was looking for as her hand latched onto an unknown subject and pulled.

Her efforts were rewarded with the appearance of a disembodied head—one complete with messy black hair and a set of brown eyes to match hers. Said features belonged to a boy of about eight, a mischievous grin ruling his face. He continued to spin, but she managed to get a sturdy grip on him by turning around to cling to his neck. "Jamie, I see you! Put me down!"

The boy, Jamie, simply widened his grin. "Nope," he disagreed amicably, popping the 'p'. "I'm never, ever letting you down. I guess you better get used to it."

The girl growled in a manner that was intended to intimidate but was actually more reminiscent of a kitten's meow.

"Terrifying, Lily. Come, we're off on an amazing adventure," he claimed boldly, moving her to hang on his back.

Lily smiled. "What kind of adventure?"

At this moment they simply walked through Sirius as though his presence in the door was nothing more solid than a slight breeze. Without a second glance to his companions, Sirius followed the children, transfixed.

Jamie looked at the small girl clinging to his back, whom Sirius would hazard a guess to say was his sister, and replied: "Why, one to bother Albus, of course!"

This caused Lily to release yet another giggle and yell: "Then onward, noble stead!" To which Jamie gave an affronted reply of: "Hey, I am not a horse! Though the noble part was true," he seceded, puffing out his chest.

Lily seemed to find this even more amusing and refused to stop laughing even under his withering glare. Their shadows were paying them less attention as they had turned to Dumbledore with inquisitive looks at the mention of "Albus."

His returning gaze was a placid one as he answered their unasked query. "I believe that the artifact, which you are still holding, Sirius," startled, Sirius looked at his hands to see that he was indeed still clutching the pendant "Has given our subconscious' a view of the future."

Remus and Tonks exchanged astonished looks as Sirius's mind began whirling at the confirmation of his theory. It hadn't been a difficult leap, but the implications only now seemed to dawn on him.

The names: Lily; Jamie, which must be a nickname for James; the signature messy black hair…

He sprinted after the children who had gained more distance during their chat. They were carefully opening the door to the room that had belonged to Regulus.

Remus and Tonks followed at a slower pace, still attempting to process their situation, while Dumbledore strolled behind. They passed through the open in the doorway and Sirius's eyes widened at the sight of the room that had once been an orderly shrine to Slytherin and Voldemort.

Now, it was a rather colorful mess of clothes, books, posters, seemingly random knick-knacks, and quidditch supplies.

Jamie, still holding Lily, was creeping towards the bed on which strands of ebony hair were all that emerged from beneath the garish orange blankets claiming support of the Chudley Cannons. Jamie and Lily seemed in silent communication as she nodded in affirmation to a question not asked aloud.

Jamie then hoisted her up and proceeded to unceremoniously drop her directly on top of the figure belonging to the black hair.

A pained grunt emitted from under the blankets, followed by a young boy's exclamation of: "James!"

Jamie, clearly also known as James, then gave up the precedent of quiet and released a loud burst of laughter. "Wakey, wakey, Aly," he chanted, Lily joining in.

The figure sat up, forcing Lily off and even Dumbledore had difficulty holding back a gasp.

Sirius hadn't seen pictures, but he was certain that this boy was an exact replica of Harry at age six, exempting the lightning bolt scar. The boy scowled at James, his familiar emerald eyes irritated. "Don't call me that."

Then, he unexpectedly raised his voice to yell: "Mum, James threw Lily on me… again!"

A woman's voice screamed back from somewhere downstairs. "James, stop using your sister as a projectile! All of you get down here or you're not getting breakfast." At this all the children sprinted out, unknowingly passing through the time travelers in their haste for food.

"Wotcher," Tonks exclaimed before following suit. Sirius waited a moment after Remus had left as well, turning to Dumbledore.

"Do you think they're… Harry's…?" He left the question unfinished, afraid to get his hopes up. Dumbledore's eyes gleamed with a familiar twinkle as he gave Sirius an understanding smile.

"Yes, I believe so."

Then he too walked towards the kitchen. Sirius stayed still for a moment, a slow smile tugging at his lips, before sprinting to the kitchen. Maybe, just maybe, Harry would be there. The sight of him alive and well would be worth the pain of seeing Harry older than James ever was. (They looked so alike it would be as though seeing James as he could have been—if he'd lived).

The woman was midsentence as Sirius arrived in the kitchen. "—want me to tell you father that you were using his little girl as a weapon?" She was threatening. Sirius's eyes flitted around the kitchen, another room that was virtually unrecognizable had it not been for the familiar structure, before settling on the woman standing by the table.

She was giving James a stern look that seemed oddly familiar, as the boy gulped audibly. Then the realization struck him—it was Ginny Weasley; little Ginny Weasley, and she looked just as formidable as her mother. James, however, looked more terrified at the notion of his father's apparent wrath. Sirius smirked._ Smart kid, Harry has quite the temper._

From this, Sirius gathered that Lily was also a bit of a daddy's girl. Seemingly uninterested, Al and Lily both sat at the table and filled their plates with bacon and pancakes, Lily humming under her breath. James then sat and began stuffing food in his mouth with little regard for the utensils set out.

Ginny—Sirius was still having trouble reconciling his idea of the teenager with this adult—rolled her eyes at her eldest son. "Okay, kiddos. This is how it's going to work. I'm going to report on the Cannon vs. Puddlemere game at noon so your father's going to come home and watch you hellions." Lily clapped her hands excitedly and Sirius felt as though a large hand was squeezing his heart at the impending sight of his godson.

Ginny gave her daughter a playful scowl. "Thank you for the overwhelming support of your loving mother."

Lily just smiled sweetly and Albus let out a snort. James seemed more interested in his bacon than the conversation.

"Anyway, behave because he's not supposed to be running around on his leg for at least another week. That means you, James. No explosions." She shot a look at the boy who plastered an innocent "who me?" expression on his face that was made comical by the bits of pancake overflowing from his mouth.

Sirius laughed, it looked as though there was another Marauder in the making.

The next few hours found Sirius in a sort of daze as he watched the inhabitants flit around the house, disregarding the background noise that was Remus, Tonks, and Dumbledore's conversation.

The sound of a door opening and thudding closed drew him from his reverie, and drew all the occupants of number 12, apparition and solid alike, to the foyer.

The man who had entered the home was relatively tall, with unruly hair above almond-shaped, emerald eyes. Harry. He looked to be in his late twenties and was so reminiscent of James that Sirius's heart squeezed painfully in his non-corporeal chest.

He was resting his weight slightly on a cane that was disregarded completely the second Lily threw herself at him. He let out a quiet, pained grunt as he caught the babbling girl, something Ginny did not miss.

"Lily, what did I tell you? You're hurting your father." Instead of returning his daughter to the ground, Harry just laughed.

"Don't worry, Gin. I think I can handle it." He gave Lily a serious look. "Can you though?"

She seemed confused before releasing a startled screech as she was tickled mercilessly. Albus and James both laughed at her predicament. Ginny rolled her eyes at them but the corner of her mouth twitched up in a telling smile. She grabbed her coat off the hook, gave Harry a quick peck on the lips, calling behind her for them to be good.

"That's including you, Mr. Potter!"

After she departed, Harry began shuffling the children to the kitchen, having been informed that they had not yet had lunch.

"Mum says that you're a better cook anyway and that's why she keeps you around," James supplied helpfully and to which Tonks and Sirius both snorted loudly.

Harry grinned. "It's nice to feel appreciated."

Sirius had an errant thought wondering who had taught Harry to cook; it certainly hadn't been him. Maybe Molly.

With difficulty, Harry extracted Lily's arms from his neck and began bustling around the kitchen, limping noticeably. He rolled his eyes as his sons began to bicker over a chair despite the fact there was another right beside it.

"Boys, there are two chairs and two of you. Unless my math is wrong, that means you can each have one."

James took advantage of Albus' momentary distraction as he listened to his father and shoved him off the desired chair. Harry, who had turned his back to cut up tomatoes, said "James" in a warning tone. _Harry's really got the whole eyes-in-the-back-of-the-head thing down_, Sirius thought.

Albus' eyes flaredangrily at James as he picked himself off the floor and seated himself in the vacant chair. Lily, on his left, began poking him in the ribs, causing Albus to sigh deeply and place his head on the table.

"Wotcher, poor Albus." Tonks stated sympathetically. "That one, I mean," she clarified, pointing at the young boy as though there was confusion.

Albus, the one sporting a beard that the young boy of the same name could certainly not achieve, chuckled lightly.

Sirius walked around the table, alternating between staring at Harry and at his children.

That's when he noticed the newspaper sprawled haphazardly upon the counter, shifting in the breeze as though alive in its want to be read. The headline read: **Hermione Weasley confirmed Head of the Department of Magical Law. **Sirius grinned triumphantly. He knew they would end up together.

Okay, maybe Remus had been the one to say it, but he had definitely agreed.

By this time Harry had placed a sandwich before each of his progeny, which they proceeded to devour.

"Okay," Harry began. "I have to do some paperwork. That means no blowing anything up, flying, picking on your brother," he looked pointedly at James, "or blowing anything up."

"You said no blowing anything up twice," James felt the need to point out.

"Yes," Harry assented. "Because it obviously doesn't sink in when I say it once, James." James seemed torn between scowling and attempting to look innocent, leaving his face in a very interesting configuration.

"That only happened once!" Harry raised an eyebrow before pointing at a white piece of paper on the wall sporting a considerable number of tally marks.

"James, do you need help counting? Uncle George has started taking bets on how many times you'll do it before you're eighteen. I believe your Uncle Ron bet the highest at 1,187 times."

James, instead of finding this disconcerting, perked up.

"Do you think I could do it?" He looked ecstatic.

His father shot him a falsely encouraging look. "Sure, if you never want to leave the house again," he said cheerfully.

James slumped in his chair, sulking. "You just don't understand my vision," he grumbled.

"What, the one to do as much property damage as possible? Sorry if I'm less than supportive about having to buy a new kitchen table every week," Harry retorted sarcastically.

Remus smiled at the exchange. "Looks like we've got another Marauder in the making," he remarked.

"I dare say you may be right, Remus." Dumbledore agreed, as they all watched James flick pieces of lettuce at his brother's head.

The remainder of the day seemed to pass in a haze for Sirius.

It was all just so normal.

Harry worked. James tormented his brother and Lily watched for a time, looking well entertained, before eventually becoming bored and gathering a mound of toys to play with on the floor of Harry's office.

Ginny returned from the quidditch match and the family convened for dinner.

Night came and Grimmauld Place's occupants fell to sleep one by one and the home became as silent as it would ever be.

At least, until the sound of Lily crying out in her sleep brought Harry out of the master bedroom.

Sirius and his companions hovered in the doorway as Harry comforted the small girl, watching as she was lulled back to sleep, reassured that her father would be there to shoo away the monsters: "Always."

It was a good normal.

A great one, even.

A kind free from constant terror and grief.

This was the kind of life that Lily and James had been fighting for, what the Order was still fighting for.

It was a normal that he would give everything protect, Sirius thought as his consciousness returned to the present.

Everything.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading. Any and all comments are appreciated. Also, I finally got an ao3 account and will be posting an edited (rewritten pretty much) version of this story there. My penname is slytherinslocket if you are so inclined to look out for it. <strong>

**P.S. I know there are no muggles in this one but I thought it was in a similar vein.**


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